Post-holiday happenings

Our holidays don't seem to be as restful as we'd like.  It's just with a big family and many friends - all great blessings in our lives - there is a lot of entertaining and being entertained.  It is nice to catch up with old friends though, so I'll take it.

After the holidays were through, we settled into a more relaxed rhythm.  Everyone helping around the home, doing a little academic work together (mostly math and writing), and some excursions to round things out.  The kids did a lot of baking with me, including those cheese pies.  Come to think of it, I don't think I did much besides the prep work.  They pretty much put them together and I stuck trays into the oven.  Done.  It's actually a wonderful feeling to have helpers in the kitchen.  It's taken a few years of "training", lots of messes, plenty of patience and encouragement, but they seem to be well on their way to self-sufficiency in this area.  

 J is working on math now.  She is a playful monkey, so it's tough to stay on track usually.  I have to keep reminding myself that the work she's doing doesn't matter nearly as much as our time together and how we connect.  Not easy.  She is chugging along however and has mastered the collective exercises for addition.  We are working on carry-overs now.  She and Michael partner up for this, and I am the happiest mom watching them work together.  I think J likes it because we make a big deal whenever someone says "ten" as they count beads.  :)  

I have to say that most of our work is done in 10-15 minute increments.  It's very manageable.  In fact, many times the kids move on to a second round of work, or else they do a little extra,  I like that aspect immensely about Montessori.  It doesn't take much.  The trick is to do it as often as possible - if not daily then at least 2-3 times a week.  This repetition helps to cement concepts in a profound way.  I find that even if a child does not grasp every single aspect or angle of whatever the lesson is, they still understand the concept.  

This little munchkin is growing like a weed!  She is past one and walking.  Climbing is more like it.  She climbs everything.  We've had to be creative with this one, she just can't help it.  She loves to by a part of whatever's going on, which usually means getting up onto the dining room table, or climbing all over the sofas and side tables.  She's so happy and so full of zest as she goes exploring, we can't help but kiss those cheeks!  

When evening arrives, the best way to calm down rowdy kiddies is to read with them.  I was so glad when D captured this moment.  I don't think we have any recent shots of us reading together.  Here we are reading "The Quiet Little Woman" by L.M. Montgomery.  The kids love it, especially the older two.  

There is always work to be done in the kitchen.  As per usual.  I don't think we've been terribly creative on that front, but I have had more spurts of energy, so we have had less sandwiches and more hearty fare.  I am trying to stay away from cold cuts, which is difficult because a) it's convenient for lunches, and b) the kids love it.  I've made them steak sandwiches, pulled beef and turkey (from leftover turkey) that I've stashed in the freezer.  I think that's going to be my new system.  Once we have something like a roast or turkey, I will freeze a certain amount to use for lunch meat.  Finally got this down!  

I painted this icon years ago, but the gold starting peeling off thanks to a bad metal size I used.  (Of course!)  Thankfully, we found an experience iconographer to fix it.  I will never use that size again.  Yeesh.  Thankfully, all's well that ends well.  

So, I bring this little update to a close.  It's sounds an awful lot like a point by point rehash of bits of our days, but right now, that's all I've got.  Didn't want to keep postponing it.  Wishing you a great weekend!

What a girl!

My little baby turned two!  She is our Canada day baby.  What a sweet little one with her sparkling eyes and wide smile.  She loves to help, though she can get a little difficult when she has other ideas, and her constant stream of babbling is the soundtrack of my life.  (Alongside all the other noise that is 3 kids...)

For her birthday, we went strawberry picking at the Organics Farm.  It was our first time at this particular place, but it won't be our last.  The kids loved it.  Especially little miss.  She could be found at all times in a strawberry bush eating whatever her little hands could find.  Messy mouth, messy hands and a mama who didn't mind.  Her kind of day!

To top things off, we went to another nearby farm for sweet peas.  That was M's idea - or at least he wanted it the most.  D loves that boy, so we squeezed in a side trip.  Sweet peas are a big deal in our house.  We sit around and eat them together in the evenings while we talk away, or play chess.

M is really into chess as of last weekend.  We went to the Dormition monastery and some old friends were visiting at the same time.  Lots of kids running around, to say the least.  It was wonderful!  But since it rained non-stop on Saturday, most of their activities were indoors.  The older boys were wrapped up in chess for a large part, so M picked up the basics there.  Now, all he wants to do is play chess.  I don't mind in the least!  When I'm not available to play against him, J plays for a bit.  Failing that, he plays both sides himself.  Hilarious to watch.  ("Mom, I won the game."  "Really, honey?  Which one of you?"  "My white side.")  Of course, there was a beautiful sunny day on Sunday while we were still in Michigan, so a proper trip to the pond was of the order.  Frog catching was the jeu de jour.  :)

J was just in seventh heaven with all the girls too.  She was the youngest besides the babies, but they played pretend to her heart's content.  She was so sad when we had to leave.  She still keeps asking for her new friends to come and visit - all the way from Wisconsin!  I love seeing these babies of mine find such wholesome, sweet and true friends.  This place is such a haven of love for our family.

I have started another baby sweater just in time for July swimming lessons.  (The two older ones have lessons everyday for a couple of weeks.)  It's the same pattern, but in a different colour - a pretty pastel pink.  I'm trying to cover my bases!  :)  Knitting in a new colour is fun, it feels like a whole new project without being overwhelming.  I still have that lovely gray sweater waiting to be finished.  It's not done yet, but I'd say it's close to 70%.  If we have a boy, the sweater will be the perfect gift to another friend expecting a girl.  If we have a girl, well, a little baby boy who has yet to debut will profit from my knitting zeal.  I do love the milo that Kim has been working on, so I might just have my next project queued up. Not to shabby!

I know it's summer time and most people aren't thinking about books and school, but I thought I'd share some of our favourite reading choices for those interested in such things.  Despite being the time for outdoors, there are plenty of times we curl up together on the sofa with a book.  Usually during afternoon nap/quiet times or on rainy days.  These are a few stories I've noticed get reached for quickly with Paddington and all the Beatrix Potter stories, of course.    

Well, I wish you a happy weekend, full of outdoors and adventures.  I'm off to finish shoe shopping for the boy.  (He happens to SHRED his shoes faster than I could have anticipated...)  And then it's jam time.  I hope.

Toodles!

Yarn Along: tying up loose ends

A busy week, and a busy weekend coming.  Busy with wonderful projects, family gatherings and a much-needed retreat to Michigan.  :)  

Right now I have a couple projects already halfway, so I am trying to tie up the loose ends.  I have completed J's messenger bag!  It is a sweet bag!  I will share it closer to her birthday.  I am also still working on those hats I mentioned last week.  I haven't had time for them amidst everything else, so they are still waiting for me.  I am hoping I will get at least something done on the car ride, but since it'll be dark for most of the drive, we'll see.  

I am reading a book called ScreamFree Parenting.  It is really a wonderful book.  At least, I feel more empowered to be calm with my children come what may.  One of the kids had an incident where they made a poor behavioural choice and were not happy with the consequences of that choice.  There was definitely a fit involved.  Afterwards though, you would have found us together, curled up on the floor reading a book together.  (In the end, that child's resignation and elasticity helped them get over it pretty quickly!)  But the real miracle was that throughout it all, I found myself staying calm and connected.  That was the big part.  Usually when meltdowns occur, I run for the hills emotionally!  I realize not all parents suffer from the same shortcoming, but this book is so helpful for me in learning to leave reactivity behind and embrace inner calm when dealing with my children.  

Wishing you a wonderful and calm Wednesday!

Joining Ginny and friends for this week's Yarn Along.

My babies and some of our Christmas preparations

I  keep having to remind myself to write in the blog.  It's become a once-a-week affair these days.  So many things to do and being done that I don't have the energy to maintain this space quite as efficiently.  It makes me sad because so many precious moments have slipped by without any note for posterity.  I treasure the times I have with the kids when they just fill me up with sunshine - especially when they're in a talking mood.  Oh my.  

J loves to chat with a willing listener.  She'll talk and talk and talk.  Sometimes she makes no sense.  Sometimes she's hilarious.  She has imaginary friends (the effect of hearing M's school stories) and they feature abundantly in her stories.  She loves to repeat the lessons (usually moral) or stories we read together during the day.  It's beautiful to listen to a 3 year old uttering profound truths.  And it's kind of, I don't know, comforting in a way to know that we can impact her life so profoundly. 

M is just gold.  That boy makes me laugh and cry at the same time.  He is so sweet inside that I can't help hugging him whenever I can.  He watches over his sisters very seriously whenever we are away, and it is comforting to know that they have such a gallant protector.  Of course, he does love to tease them too...  ;)

As for S, that little one never stops.  She's so different from the other two.  Mentally very organized - she that each thing has it's own place and likes to keep it there.  She loves to clean up, loves to follow instructions (even sometimes when she doesn't want to do it!), and loves to give kisses.  She has a special greeting for D when he comes home and for me when I come back from an errand.  It's like winning the lottery when she smiles and runs to your arms singing "Mama!".  

Next week is baking week for us.  Cookies, Yule logs, savoury pies, peppermint bark, sea salt chocolate caramels.  We have some favourites here, that's for sure!  And of course, then it's really down to the wire with cleaning, cooking, decorating, wrapping and such end of the line preparations. 

I am up to my elbows in yarn for now.  I am trying to finish with the Rapunzel hair hats (two more left).  Also, I have a gorgeous red scarf I am trying furiously to complete on time.  I've added a couple more projects (which of course I can't talk about), and so I doubt very much a day will go by where I am not crocheting.  I want so badly to whip up a warm pair of socks and a pair of dinosaur mittens for M to match his hat, but I am sceptical as to the probability of me finishing it all.  So they have question marks beside them on the list.  I'll keep going right to the end and just hope they're all done for Christmas.  :)

As for reading, that's absurd!  No books.  No time.  My hands aren't free to turn the pages.  :)  It's all yarn for me.  I would LOVE to read A Mother's Rule of Life.  Perhaps in the New Year?  It's on my Christmas list anyhow.  

Well, I must be off.  Lunch and dinner need making, and I have some yarn calling me...

Joining Ginny and friends for this week's Yarn Along.

Christmas projects

A Christmas project complete.  Hurrah!  Only 997 more to go.  Just kidding.  It feels good to be finished with one.  Finally happy with the crown too.  (Hard to see in these photos... but she was so excited and jumpy that I had a hard time keeping her still for a photo op.)  

I do have 3 other hats that need finishing, But two of them are almost there.  The third I have yet to start.  Also I am planning a gorgeous red scarf.  All Christmas gifts.  Needing to be done by the 24th. For some reason I'm not so worried.  I feel like I'm motoring along with these projects!  (Hmm... I wonder if that will change?)  

I mentioned some wood burning would be happening and so it has!  I don't think this medallion (St. John the Evangelist) will take too much longer to finish, but that is a pity as I find it so soothing to sit quietly in the evenings gently burning lines into the soft face of wood.  The tool heats up enough to keep my perpetually cold hands nice and hot.  (In my books, wood burning is a winter art.  And perhaps rug making.  But I digress.)

I have been reading from a smorgasbord these days.  A little of Michael O'Brian's short stories for Advent, a little of Bishop Irenaius - he has some very practical and profound words on raising children - and a little Jane Austen.  I can't help but love her.  

And that is that.  Happy Wednesday!



Joining Ginny and friends for this week's Yarn Along.

Rapunzel yarn along

Plugging away at this new hat. The crocheting part is finished.  Just needing to thread a bazillion lengths of yarn through each row.  Kind of mindless in a pleasant sort of way.  :)  No reading for me this week beyond my daily portion of The Spiritual Life.  I'll stop mentioning it now until I've finished with it.  

Right now two of my kids are sick and the littlest one with a fever.  So sick babies and a sleepy mama are not a recipe for a lengthy blog post.  Godspeed!  

Joining Ginny and friends for this week's Yarn Along.

Owl Hats Yarn Along

I am still crocheting those owl hats.  I had put them aside this past week, which means now I feel compelled to pick them up.  (Even guilt has its purposes...)  The colours don't show up as vividly in my photos, but they are very fun colours.  I also purchased some yarn to start a Christmas gift - a Rapunzel hat.  There are lots out there, but I haven't decided how it will look.  That'll be fun to mull over while I work on these owlies.

Currently I am reading (er, re-reading) Jane Eyre.  I am a bit of a romantic at heart, and this classic is a nice book to sit down to when I need to "turn off" or relax.  I am also reading (two books, I know!) The Spiritual Life by St. Theophan the Recluse.  It is profound.  Every sentence is full of wisdom and revelation.  It is deep enough that I can only get through a few pages at a time.  This book needs heavy reflection and digestion.  And yet, for all that, it's become one of my favourites.

And because I haven't remembered to before, and because it's been such a long time between recipe posts, and because they're just perfect for any occasion, I am posting the recipe for those chocolate chip cookies from last week.

CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda + 2 tsp hot water
3 cups flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cream sugars and butter together.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well.  Add vanilla.  Mix salt and flour together separately.  Add to butter mixture and blend well.  In a small cup, mix baking soda with hot water and add to dough, mixing well.  Add chocolate chips and stir until uniformly combined.  Scoop rounded teaspoons onto a baking sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes.  (If your cookies are larger, they'll need to bake longer.)  Let cool before eating or storing.

Joining Ginny and friends for this week's Yarn Along.  

Tidbits for the soul

 I came into the room this morning and this is what I saw.  J was playing dress-up with S.  (Oh ya, ya gotta love those two holes she's put in the toes of that sleeper, eh?)  Ya, they were having a ball together... no pun intended.  Adorable!

We've been having some pretty bad winter storms this past while.  It is beautiful though afterwards.  The trees are veritably enrobed in snow and there's a pristine quietness in the air.  Here's a view from our balcony of the last storm to hit.  

 This is the fox mask I made for M.  A little primitive and done on the fly - I had a dozen owl masks to finish people!  Thankfully, my son does not seem to mind.  He's now asking for a pirate patch and a wolf mask.  I can't win with that kid.  As much as I'd love to sit around all day making things (hello, dream come true!), there is work that needs attending.  For instance, dishes do not wash themselves.  And last I checked, dinner has never spontaneously made itself.  Don't even get me started on the laundry.  Laundry actually does move by itself.  It moves upwards that is, at an exponential rate.  

So, I think I'll put mask-making on the back burner for the time being.  

I was forced to make a couple peg people this evening though.  The kids wanted to make their own in fact.  So I let them.  They went to town and covered their pieces from top to bottom in paint.  Then Mom was solicited to "fix" them.  "Princess" and "soldier" were my orders.  So I spent my after-hours making these cuties.  I'm sure they'll both love theirs.  Too much so that I'm bound to be bombarded by orders for more.  Especially M.  He'll want a whole battalion of soldiers so they can have a war.  (Is it me, or are all boys like this?)

Anyhow, that's the story of why the stuffed grape leaves never got done.  *sigh*

I have been reading an excellent book that I just have to pass along.  It's called: Hold Onto Your Kids, by Gordon Neufeld.  Great read for parents, teachers, caregivers and basically anyone who works or deals with children.  Definitely changed my perspective on a few things for sure.  And I'm pretty sure most public libraries carry it.  At least that's what I hear.  (And that's where this baby came from too!)

So, that's me for now.  A bit of this and that in the goings on department.  

A few more tidbits to share...

• This shop is dangerous.  I especially love those seasonal craft boxes.  What a great idea!  I should make up a few for the kids... especially with all the spare time I have.  *sigh*
• I'm dying to get a hold of this book.  A sweet little story for kiddies, a lovely collection of patterns for mama.  
• M and J have been really into owls, amongst other things, this past little while.  I was trolling around etsy and found these little darlings.  I wish I knew how to felt.  One day...  (As if my to do list needs any lengthening.)    
• While I'm on the topic of animals, I've been wanting to crochet a hedgehog ever since I saw one on one of my favourite sites.  This little critter is by far the cutest I've seen, yes?  
• As if I'm not "hatted" out, my son has requested this furry friend.  Can't blame him, but yeesh!  
• These are the slippers my kids dream of.  Happily, this is a dream I can make come true!  Hurray for dreams and hurray for more yarn projects!  

Reading & travels

Recently, I've been seeing a lot of blog posts on reading and knitting.  A win-win situation in my opinion as they are two of my favourite things!  No, I lied.  I cannot knit.  But if I could, it would be right up there!  

In fact, I think it's time knitting made it into my repertoire.  I love the look of pearl stitches - each flowing gracefully into the next.  Crocheted stitches seem chunkier to me in comparison, which I love in say hats or blankets.  But it would be so nice to know how to knit.   What can I say?  Some have more adventurous bucket lists than others...

Anyhow in the spirit of the times... I am currently reading The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball.  I just started it.  I am simultaneously (and perhaps too ambitiously?) reading Sayings & Discourses by Dorotheos of Gaza.  I have been on that one for a while.  I mean, how much can you read when you have 3 monkeys running around?  Plenty!  If you don't mind having your house trashed that is.  (Still trying to figure out why my boy is so drawn to boisterous play...)  I read in the evenings, or at nap time.  And since both of those periods require me to sacrifice sleep to so do, I am not very consistent.  

M off adventuring

The grape vineyard and fruit orchard

We were in Montreal last weekend visiting dear friends.  The children had a wonderful time... especially with the horses.  Part of me is happy we were so busy enjoying our time there that we didn't take pictures.  Another part wants to have those souvenirs to show the little ones as they grow.  

D carrying a bushel of carrots

The horse-drawn plough resting after an afternoon of ploughing

We worked in a sort of leisurely way while we were there.  D had the honour of shoveling horse poop.  No biggie - just 2 horses and 3 ponies.  Seven tubs later...  

And he picked carrots.  Lots of carrots.  Bushels of carrots.  

The kids just shuttled back and forth between activities.  J especially enjoyed all the attention she was given.  I rarely saw her on Friday and Saturday.  She was too busy scuttling from one person to the next.  And didn't they just spoil her!

They had the woodstoves going during our stay.  The cold is settling in for the season it seems.  That is not an altogether terrible thought, though, for some reason, it takes some getting used to.  

After a restful night, we woke up on Saturday to this...   

D: Um, Alexa, look out the window.  

Me: (with three kids hanging off of me) I'm a little busy.  

D: No really, look out the window.  

Me: Can't you just tell me?!  

D: You won't believe me.  

Me (looking out the window): You're right.  I don't believe you.

Our first snowfall of the season!

(Pardon the blurry picture, but I did take it in the comfort and warmth of our little cabin window.)

The snow melted by afternoon and the rain washed away any residue.  But it was there.  Winter is coming!  Enjoy the rest of Autumn while it lasts!

PS - If you're looking for a way to capture all the beauty of the season, there's a Canon EOS Rebel giveaway here at DIY Dreamer.  Wish my luck would hold out for one of those!